While traveling through Indonesia I became interested in palm oil. There I saw the huge impact those plantations had on the Indonesian landscape and on its biodiversity as I passed endless straight lines of palm trees. After my return, I started to explore the subject. I had never realized the complexity of the palm oil production. Part of my research was via Google Earth. On the satellite images one could very clearly see the plantations and the scale of production. Furthermore, the role of Dutch interventions interested me. The Dutch started to commercialize palm oil production once they had colonized Indonesia. Even now the Netherlands are still a major player in palm oil production. After China and India they are the largest importer of palm oil.

When I returned to Indonesia for a second visit, I met many Indonesian people who were connected to the production of palm oil. About 10% of the Indonesian population lives from the benefits of palm oil, either directly or indirectly. However, I noticed a significant difference between large palm oil companies and the so-called smallholders. The large corporations wanted to keep me at a distance while the smallholders were very inviting and proud of their plantations. The work of smallholders is conducted on a small-scale on land that was often previously used to grow other crops, whereas the large producers of palm oil have grown expansively. This book aims to show the contrast between these two forms of palm oil production. This distinction undeniably has an impact on the ecological structure of the country. The pictures, which were mainly taken in Kalimantan and Sumatra, zoom in on everyday life. Hopefully these pictures will contribute to furthering the complex discussion on the palm oil industry, emphasizing the importance of transforming the industry towards a sustainable production and consumption of the green gold.

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For six years now Somalia has topped the list of so-called 'failed states'. This is due to the constant corruption, armed violence, terrorism and lack of human rights. As a consequence; many Somalis have been forced to leave the country, arriving in Europe as refugees.A number of them are currently living in a disused multi-storey car park in the ‘Bijlmer’ in Amsterdam; It is a building without any facilities, unfit for people to live in. Even though there are various nationalities living there, the predominance of Somalis is striking. Upon arrival in the Netherlands they all applied for asylum, their requests were mostly denied.One of these refugees is Ali, a man of 32 from Somalia. Ali was granted a temporary permit, so he could stay in the Netherlands legally for five years. However, this permit expired and he is now staying in the car park until his situation becomes clear. Last year he traveled around Somalia. While there, he took lots of photographs with his mobile phone, knowing he would have to leave his country again. Many refugees do not have such photos; they carry their memories in their minds. They long for Somalia and hope to return some day, when it is safe.